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NBC News, citing two people familiar with the conversations,
reported earlier that Menendez told allies he was going to
resign.
"I can tell you that I have not resigned nor have I spoken to
any so called allies ... Seems to me that there is an effort to
try to force me into a statement. Anyone who knows me knows
that's the worst way to achieve a goal with me," Menendez told
CBS News on Wednesday.
Pressure has been growing on Menendez, of New Jersey, to step
down following his conviction on Tuesday on all 16 criminal
counts he faced including bribery at his federal trial in
Manhattan.
Senior Democrats including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer and fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker quickly called
on Menendez, who has served in the Senate since 2006, to resign
from the chamber.
Menendez remained defiant after the verdict, telling reporters
outside the courthouse that he would appeal, though he did not
answer questions about resignation.
The senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of
dollars in cash, gold bars and car and mortgage payments from
three businessmen who wanted his help, according to prosecutors.
In exchange for bribes, Menendez helped steer billions of
dollars in American aid to Egypt, where one of the businessman,
Wael Hana, had ties to government officials, prosecutors added.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Eric Beech; editing by Costas
Pitas and Diane Craft)
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